Tag Archives: sexual harrassment

I was happy to be flying back to Texas. After the cocaine incident described in Part 3 of my story, I did a lot of thinking and wondered even more about Roberto and the events surrounding my firing from the airline just before I would have gotten off probation. Dee, my flight attendant friend, had said something about Roberto and cocaine, when I asked her where she and the other flight attendants got their supply. I began to wonder if there was much more to this story. I spent the entire night awake as we were flying back to Texas, which took 10 hours.

After arriving back in Texas, a friend of mine, Carol, who was married to Fran, a pilot for the Airline, insisted that I sue the company for sexual harassment. Fran agreed and said that Roberto needed to be stopped. He had been privy to complaints on some of his flights, from Flight Attendants who were harassed by Roberto.

I went to the EEOC with my case, and they gave me the letter of permission to sue. Carol got her attorney, who was one of the best, to take my case on contingency. However, I signed a contract stating that I would pay $5,000 win or lose. I put down a deposit of $500.00.

The depositions began, and everything was going our way. It was completely evident that Roberto was lying. He couldn’t keep his story straight and when he got flustered he was difficult to understand.

John P., the pilot who was on the plane the night in question, flew in from Kansas where he lived, to be interviewed. There were two other pilots who piloted the plane that night who wanted to testify, but were discouraged by the management of the airline. Everyone was afraid for their jobs. Not one person except John P. came to my defense, not even my “friends” who had promised they would have my back if my job was threatened as had been rumored.

It was finally the night before the trial, I had not asked for a Jury, so the case would be tried before a Judge. I was told by my Attorney that this Judge was really good on sexual harassment cases. I was not suing for a lot of money, just reinstatement, back pay and compensation for emotional suffering.

The next morning, Carol and Fran were with me in court. John P. was there, he had flown in at his own expense. He had not let himself be intimidated, as the other pilots had been. Roberto and the Airline Attorneys were present, but my Attorney didn’t show up and sent his Assistant to argue the case. He arrived late, and gave no explanations for his presence there instead of my Attorney. He put me and John on the stand, and then rested the case. He didn’t call Roberto to the stand. The Judge said he had to dismiss the case because the Attorney had “rested” and the other side had not been able to defend against the charges.

The Assistant to my Attorney, the Airline Attorneys and Roberto packed up, and dashed out of the courtroom without a glance in our direction. Carol, Fran, John and I were still sitting there, and Carol said, “What just happened?” We were all stunned. I never got a bill for the $4,500.00 that I owed to my Attorney, and we never saw him nor heard from him again. Most people, however, were not surprised. It’s hard to sue a large corporation with deep pockets. And, at that time, sexual harassment was not taken very seriously.

So, what about Roberto? My next door neighbor, Dorothy, worked for the Airline as Director of Crew Housing, and knew everything that happened at the airline. She had worked there for years. She said that Roberto was becoming very erratic and during a training session on “hostage taking,” he had pulled out his gun and said he didn’t need training because he had “this.” It was illegal to have guns in any kind of training situation. He was arrested, then released and was not fired.

Then apparently drugs were found inside the paneling of an aircraft after he had worked a trip from Puerto Rico, his home of origin. Word got around that he was supplying drugs to some crew members as well as others in upper management.

There were suddenly a lot of firings. Dorothy said that the people involved in my firing were all fired, except for Roberto. The VP who had been on my flight in first class on the fatal night, was demoted and transferred. Then the news came that Roberto had suddenly dropped dead in the isle while working a flight to Hawaii.

Roberto’s reign of oppression was over. His harassment of female Flight Attendants had gone on for many years, since he started flying as a young man and now was over 50 years old. I was told that his file at the Flight Attendant Union was thick with complaints, but he was slippery and no one had dared challenge him. Also, if he was the supplier of drugs, especially cocaine, he literally had them in the palm of his hand.

The other Portuguese speaking flight attendants whom I had helped hire, continued on the job and some still fly today. I was the only casualty of the threats that we would be taken down one by one. If I had gone away quietly, the others would have been next, as was discussed in the first episode of “Flying down to Rio.”

Well, that’s the end of the story of my brief adventure into the world of flying. I must say, there was never a dull moment!

I was knocked off my feet with the sudden firing from my job as an International Flight Attendant travelling the Dallas – Rio de Janeiro route.

I had been a valuable asset to the company in the hiring of Portuguese speaking candidates, had worked with Charlie R., the Head of the Training Department for about six months prior to becoming a Flight Attendant myself. I translated their in-flight announcement videos, such as the evacuation video, and also did the voice-overs in Portuguese. The administration was thrilled with my work, and they were getting hundreds of passenger letters praising my performance on flights once I started flying to Rio.

I was known by almost all the management of the Airline, who at one time or another would be on one of my flights. I worked mostly First Class. I was on the fast track to be promoted, possibly running the Brazilian end of things. As Charlie would say, being a Flight Attendant was just the first part of the process.

So, how could a false accusation by a man who had a habit of threatening new flight attendants and sexually harassing them, lead to a “no questions asked” immediate firing? I had no answers, and my morale was extremely low. The best thing was to get away and take advantage of Mauro’s suggestion about living in Rio. Also, I wanted to see Mauro again. We had barely started our relationship when I was fired from my job and would not be flying to Rio anymore.

Several months later, I was on a Brazilian airline, Varig, flying back to Rio. Mauro was waiting for me at the airport and it was heavenly to see him. He was even more handsome than I remembered. I stayed with Jane, the cousin of a friend of mine from Brazil, who lives in Dallas, until I could find a place within my budget. Jane and I became great friends.

Mauro helped look for apartments, but really wanted me to stay in an apartment that he owned while I was living in Rio, however, it was way above what I could afford. Finally I found a small one bedroom apartment on the sixth floor of a building about 4 blocks from Copacabana Beach. The rent was $200 a month, with maid service twice a week! I signed on the spot.

Mauro wasn’t with me that day, and I didn’t know that he was extremely fearful of heights and elevators. I wanted to show him my new place, and on the way up on the elevator he started shaking and sweating. By the time we got to my apartment he was white as a sheet and could barely breath. I felt terrible for him and soon found out that he had lots of phobias and fears.

The next revelation was that Mauro finally admitted to me that he was married, but officially separated. Because divorce was difficult in Brazil, many couples did this. It’s called a “desquite.” Neither party can re-marry and this arrangement also works well when there are children involved. I hadn’t known that Mauro had a son. Our romance had never gotten far enough for an intimate relationship, so I told him that it was best that we remain “just friends.” I did not want to be his “amante,” lover, or kept woman. This is not what a man wants to hear and we never saw each other again. I heard later that he was having serious health problems and that he had gone back to his wife.

Then I met a guy, who was not married, at Copacabana beach, José Neto, and we started dating. He was a model and therefore did not work all the time, so we had lots of fun together sightseeing, eating out, going to the beach. He was the definition of a “gentleman.” José introduced me to a singer named Paulo Gran Bell, and we started performing at different events and in several night clubs. It was fun and also helped with the cash flow.

One day I was at the Rio Palace and one of the managers told me that a celebrity from Texas was coming to Rio and would be staying there. He wondered if I would accept the job to be her interpreter and guide during her stay. Her name was Iola Johnson and I had watched her newscasts for years! She had recently quit the news station to move on to other things. I was delighted to be asked to do this. We met and right away hit it off. She spent a couple of weeks in Rio, and it was interesting, because American tourists who saw her, instantly recognized her and her famous voice.

She was a beautiful person, both on the outside as well as on the inside. On the back of this picture, she wrote: “Sandi é ótima! You’re the best thing in Rio. I wish you only the very best!” Iola.

Soon after Iola left, one of my flight attendant friends, Dee, called with the news that the airline had shut down the Dallas-Rio route, and no more flights would be coming down to Rio. She needed a favor from me. She asked that I go to the Rio Palace and get her suitcase which she always left there for her layovers. She only wanted her wristwatch and a couple of earrings. She said that I could give away the rest of her things.

Dee had travelled the entire world for years as a Flight Attendant and when she was in Rio, after I was fired, we would go out together. She was a rather eccentric person. She told me to give the “baby powder” to a very special person. I thought this was rather odd, but knowing Dee I didn’t think much about it. So, I sat out in front of the hotel and gave away all her things, including the Johnson Baby Powder.

Later she called to ask who I had given the baby powder to. I inquired about her obsession with baby powder and she said, “you didn’t know? That was pure cocaine.” She said that she and some of the other Flight Attendants did cocaine a lot during trips to stay awake. I was completely flabbergasted because I never suspected a thing during our trips, except for the fact that I wondered how they could go for three days without sleeping hardly at all. I was always exhausted after flying all night and had to sleep for a while. They would change clothes and were off to the beach or somewhere else.

I was very angry about the event, because had the police been around, I could have been arrested! I also was worried that if someone had used the “baby powder” on a baby, what could happen? I asked several doctors and they assured me that it wouldn’t hurt the baby.

After about six months in Rio, I was homesick and decided to go back to Texas. I missed pizza and Mexican food. I never felt completely at home in Rio. I had friends, but didn’t “fit in” since I was single, and was treated by some people like a rich American, which I wasn’t! I was down to my last penny. I felt alone and a bit disillusioned. José was surprised that I was leaving, but I promised I would write.

I boarded the plane and before I knew it, we were landing on American soil, in Texas.

The story does not end here. I sued the airline for sexual harassment, and found out “the rest of the story!” What happened to Roberto? Did he get away with it again and again? Why was he so powerful? There are answers in Part 4 of my story.

I had been an International Flight attendant, flying down to Rio, for about seven months and had one month of probation left. The crew members with whom I had become friends had warned me about a guy named Roberto, who flew trips as the number 1 Flight Attendant, which meant that he was in charge of all of the Attendants on his flight. I was told that he had the habit of threatening new female Flight Attendants with reporting them for breaking the rules.

According to my friends, one thing he would accuse them of was “sleeping on the job.” The flights lasted 10 hours, we flew all night, and it was paramount that we not sit down at any time and take a nap. We all knew this rule and would never risk such behavior.

I don’t remember the date, but I arrived at the airport to check in for my flight and the famed Roberto introduced himself and said that he was the No. 1 Flight Attendant on this trip. He seemed vey nice at first. He spoke English with a heavy Spanish accent and was extremely flirty. He put is arm around me and said, “Roberto will take care of you. It’s OK for you to take a nap, and I will cover for you.” I told him that I knew the rules and would definitely not take a nap, even with his permission. I was working first class that night and the Vice-President of the airline was a passenger in my area. There was also a pilot, John P., who was deadheading to Rio, and would be flying the plane back to the U. S.

After the meal service and the movie, and the passengers were sleeping, John and I had several chats. He was studying Portuguese and would ask me questions about pronunciation and the meaning of words. I never sat down, but would stop next to his seat. In the galley, Roberto continued his flirting and had his hands all over me. It was very close quarters but it was clear that he was taking advantage of the situation.

I was relieved when we finally arrived in Rio and I saw Mauro, the TV personality and reporter who I mentioned in Part I, waiting for me. As we were getting off the crew bus, Roberto approached me and said; “Call me later, I need talk to you. You must come to my room.”

Mauro noticed how Roberto was talking to me and asked what it was about. I told him about Roberto’s actions on the trip, and he was very mad. However, we forgot all about the frustrating situation and Mauro and I had a great time during the layover, as we usually did. There was so much to do and see in Rio and it was all so romantic. Everyone knew Mauro and I felt extremely special being at his side.

I avoided Roberto like the plague, and did not call him. Several times he saw Mauro and me together, and also saw him kiss me goodbye before we left on the bus for the airport. When we were on the plane going home, Roberto accosted me in the galley and was screaming, “Yu fuckeen beech, you deedn’t call me, I rreport yu, I see yu sleeep on trrip.” His accent got really bad when he was angry.

I was visibly upset, and told one of the senior flight attendants about the threats and she said not to worry, that Roberto never followed thorough with any of his threats, but that I should report the incident to my supervisor when we arrived in Dallas, which I did. The next day I was called in and fired. That was it, I had taken my last trip. I was incredulous. There was no appeal because I was still on probation.

I called Mauro and told him what had happened, and that I wouldn’t be coming back to Rio. He said that it was all for the best, because now I could come to live in Rio. I said I’d stay in touch by phone until something could be resolved, and that I would think about his suggestion. During every phone conversation he insisted that I come right away and that he loved me.

I made an appointment to talk to the Vice-President of the airline, who had been on board the night of the incident. He had complimented me after the trip on my excellent demeanor, professionalism and service. He had told me how grateful the airline was to have me as an employee, and that he could see promotions in my future.

Our meeting went nowhere. He was friendly, but said his hands were tied. He suggested that I meet with the President of the airline and also contact the pilot who had been on board. I followed his advice and contacted John and he wrote a letter to the President, and copied me, about his conversations with me during the trip and that he could see the seat that Roberto had accused me of sitting in and sleeping, and that at no time did this happen.

The President met with me, and said that he would investigate the matter. Later I received a letter in which he said that they hated to lose me, but that I was still on probation and that I could not be reinstated.

I decided to move to Rio, as Mauro had suggested.

Continued in Part 3: Would the relationship with Mauro last? What would happen to the Dallas-Rio de Janeiro route? A female American celebrity and I would become friends when she came to Rio, a dangerous situation involving drugs (not mine!)…